Police Reports from Towanda, Tunkhannock, Gibson and Laporte Barracks

Investigation continues into the circumstances surrounding an accident along Route 29 just north of Montrose on the afternoon of Nov. 6, which left the driver dead and three passengers injured, state police report. Michael Gensel, 46, Kingsley, was traveling north when he lost control of his vehicle and left the roadway, causing the car to flip onto its roof. Gensel and an unnamed male passenger were ejected from the vehicle, with Gensel later pronounced dead. Another passenger, Robin Brown, also of Kingsley, was seriously injured. No information was released on the fourth occupant of Gensel's vehicle.

Accidents Summarized

Amanda Best, 28, Columbia Cross Roads, was fatally injured in a Nov. 5 crash that occurred on Coryland Road in Columbia Township just before noon. Police report that Best was traveling south when she allegedly lost control of her vehicle, struck a guardrail, and rolled down an embankment. Best was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle, which came to rest in a shallow pond 60 feet from the roadway. One of five passengers in the vehicle, Douglas Williams, 38, Columbia Cross Roads, incurred serious injuries. The other four passengers, all juveniles, received minor injuries. An investigation into the crash continues.

No injuries were reported after a 6 a.m. Nov. 1 crash near the intersection of Routes 409 and 706 in Wyalusing Township, but Jason Hernandez, 27, San Antonio, TX, was cited for resisting arrest after state troopers say that he became verbally and physically combative as they were investigating the incident.

A separate one-vehicle crash occurred at about 4:20 a.m. at the above location on the same date. Jennifer Mullen, Athens, was reportedly traveling west on Route 706, failed to negotiate the curve in Camptown, went directly through the intersection, drove over a curb and came to rest against a fence. Neither she nor her passenger, Jessica Garrison, Athens, was injured.

A medical issue apparently led to a crash at about 8:20 a.m. on Nov. 4 on Route 220 in Ulster Township. Shawn Willis, 28, Sayre, crossed into the oncoming lane and struck a vehicle driven by J. Russell Stowell, 72, Ulster. Willis was slightly injured in the crash and transported to Robert Packer Hospital via Ulster EMS. His passengers, Rebecca Bartlow, 27, Sayre, and an unnamed infant, were not injured. All vehicle occupants were properly restrained.

David Gunther, 29, Wysox, was charged for careless driving for his part in a four-vehicle, chain-reaction crash that occurred at about 5:25 p.m. on Nov. 3 on Route 6 in Wysox Township. Gunther incurred a minor injury, while the other three drivers and a passenger were not hurt.

Christopher Kyle, 49, Warren Center, escaped injury in a single-vehicle accident on Nov. 3 on Mercur Hill Road in Herrick Township. Police reported that Kyle was traveling south on Dolan Road at about 3 p.m. when he failed to stop at a stop sign at Mercur Hill Road, shot across the roadway and came to rest against some trees along the eastbound berm.

Thefts Reported

Between Sept. 8 and Oct. 15, a suspect known to state police at Towanda allegedly removed approximately $400 in cash, a digital camera, and about $2,000 worth of tools from the Route 187 residence of a Rome Borough man.

A 12-volt tractor battery was taken from a property on Collins Road in Sheshequin Township between Oct. 17 and 29. The 71-year-old male victim is from Somers Point, NJ. Readers with information about either theft are asked to call 570-265-2186.

Physical Threats Expressed

Larry Nichols, 37, Towanda, is accused of making terroristic threats while wielding a crowbar like a baseball bat on Railroad Street in Towanda at about 4:10 p.m. on Nov. 6. Police allege that Nichols flattened the tire of a 35-year-old Towanda man’s vehicle before fleeing the scene. He was also charged with harassment and criminal mischief.

Gift Cards Misused

Ebony Teeter, 19, Towanda, has been charged with theft for reportedly running up a total of $270.10 on unauthorized JCPenney gift cards between Oct. 14 and Oct. 29 while working as a cashier there.

Sexual Assault Alleged

An 18-year-old Towanda woman reported to police that she was sexually assaulted in the area of Grange Hill Road in Franklin Township, Bradford County, on July 2. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Restaurant Burglarized

State police at Laporte are looking for information about a break-in at Pam’s Restaurant in Dushore between 3 p.m. on Oct. 22 and 3 p.m. on Oct. 23. Readers with helpful information may call 570-946-4610.

Ulster Twp. Break-in

Daniel Kizale, 25, Sayre, was charged with burglary, theft, and related charges for allegedly entering a residence on Hawk Lane in Ulster Township on June 28. Kizale was remanded to the Bradford County Correctional Facility in lieu of $10,000 bail and later waived his preliminary hearing.

Argument in Parking Lot

Rose Marie Randall, Towanda, is accused of smacking a 29-year-old Laceyville woman in the face after a Nov. 2 argument in the parking lot of Oak Ridge Apartments in Towanda Township turned physical.

Mailbox Damaged

Between 10 p.m. on Oct. 23 and 8 a.m. on Oct. 24, someone damaged a mailbox belonging to a 38-year-old woman residing along Route 220 in Monroe Township, Bradford County. A reward has been offered for information about the incident, and readers may call 570-265-2186.

Camper Abandoned

State police at Towanda are looking for the person(s) who left a Terry Industries pull-behind camper on a property off Schneider Road in Herrick Township between Oct. 26 and 31.

Generator Found in Sullivan County

State police at Laporte announced that a generator was found near the creek in the area of the Sonestown bridge in Sullivan County. Anyone who can identify the piece of machinery can call 570-946-4610.

Crash Leads to Underage DUI

An unnamed 20-year-old male from East Waterford, PA, was charged with DUI after crashing his vehicle into a front lawn near the intersection of Dusty Hollow Road and James Street in Sheshequin Township at about 9 p.m. on Oct. 29.

Reckless Endangerment Charged

Kathryn Joe Miller, 31, Rome, has been charged with recklessly endangering her four-year-old daughter after she allegedly drove into a ditch along Potterville Street in Orwell Township at about 4:15 p.m. on Oct. 17 after consuming alcohol. Miller has also been charged with DUI.

Electric Line Cut

Police are seeking the people responsible for disconnecting the electric meter at the Table Rock Hotel in Laceyville. According to the report, the incident occurred on Nov. 5 at about 10:47 p.m. The report made no mention of any leads in the case, but the incident is not thought to have been accidental.

Thief Walks Off with Shoes

A person described only as wearing sagging blue jeans, a white cap with red lettering and a long bandanna in a rear pocket tried on a pair of shoes at the New Shoe Store in Tunkhannock on Oct. 27 and walked out without paying for them. There was no more detailed description of the perpetrator given in the police report, or any information on the style or size of the shoes in question. The incident took place at the store along Route 29 in Eaton Township at about 9:25 a.m. on the morning in question. Police report that the person asked for a job application, tried on the shoes and then left the store.

Walmart Employee Suspected of Theft

Police report that a Walmart employee has been observed removing a number of items from the store without paying for them. The incident is part of an ongoing investigation. Police report that the thefts have taken place between Oct. 15 and 29, and that there may be an arrest made soon.

None Injured in Rear End Collision

Both drivers and all passengers were wearing seat belts and no one was injured in a crash that took place on Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. along Route 29 at the intersection of Sandbank Road in Eaton Township, Wyoming County. Police report that Frank Amato, 30, Allentown, was behind Thomas Johnson, 59, Harveys Lake, driving north on the roadway when Johnson slowed down to allow a vehicle ahead of him to make a left-hand turn. At this point, Amato failed to stop his vehicle and struck Johnson’s in the rear. Johnson's passengers were John Newberry, 65, Monroe Township, and Charlotte Carpenter, 40, Dalton.

DUI Arrest Made After Crash

Mark Grillo, 42, Tunkhannock, was arrested on Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. on suspicion of driving under the influence. Police report that on that day, Grillo and Dennis Ide, 77, Tunkhannock, were involved in a motor vehicle crash along Route 6 in front of McDonald’s in Tunkhannock Township. There were no details on the crash given except that no one was injured. Upon reporting to the scene of the crash, troopers noticed Grillo’s demeanor and made the arrest.

Lenox Pharmacy Robbed

State police have apprehended two individuals and charged them with robbing the Lenox Pharmacy in Susquehanna County’s Lenox Township. According to reports filed, store employee Cheryl Williams made the original call to police on Nov. 7, stating that a masked man with a knife had entered the store and demanded narcotics and was seen leaving the scene in a silver sedan heading west on SR106. A partial plate number was obtained by store owner Scott Muller and provided to investigators. State troopers from the criminal investigative unit out of Gibson spotted a vehicle fitting the description given by witnesses in the vicinity within a short time of the incident, and stopped it after noting that the occupants were throwing items from the windows. Robert Smith and Brianne Thomas, both of Harrisburg, were then taken into custody and charged, reports say.

Search Warrant Leads to Recovery of Items

A warrant executed in Gibson Township on Nov. 11 has led to the arrest of an area man and the recovery of numerous items reported missing after a burglary in Greenfield Township, Lackawanna County. Also found in the home were 200 packets of suspected heroin and $1,000 in cash. Police report that Michael Argust, Gibson, was charged before the magisterial district judge with receiving stolen property and remanded to the county prison to await a hearing with bail set at $100,000. Drug charges are also pending.

Tractor Trailer Spills Load on Exit Ramp

State police report that Rinaldo Pearson, Buffalo, NY, was traveling too fast on the morning of Nov. 7 to negotiate the curve on Exit 219, New Milford Township, causing his semi to crash into the concrete barrier that separates the exit and entrance ramps and thus overturn onto the entrance ramp roadway, spilling its load of laundry detergent and leading to the closing of the exit. Pearson suffered only minor injuries and was treated at Endless Mountains Health Systems, but will be cited for traffic violations, according to police reports. No other vehicles were involved in the incident, and the exit reopened at approximately 3 p.m.

DUI Charges Pending

In other reports, Joshua Roddins, Springville, was transported to EMHS following an accident along Route 29 in the early morning hours of Nov. 1, according to police. Reports state that Roddins was traveling south in Bridgewater Township when he lost control and impacted a utility pole, suffering minor injuries. Signs of intoxication prompted police to request BAC testing, and charges are pending.

Police Urge Motorists to Use Caution

Police note that numerous incidents of deer versus motor vehicles have been reported in recent weeks, and one trooper said that even troop cars are not exempt. A reminder goes out to all drivers that deer are moving around a lot this time of year, and extra caution should be taken when traveling. In simple terms, state police at Gibson, remind all motorists to simply slow down and be aware.